Abstract
Back ground
Post-stroke hemiplegic patients suffer from difficulty in body weight support during walking. However, it is unclear what intra-limb strategy for body weight support is predominant and how intra-limb strategy has relationship with gait function. Support moment and individual joint contribution to support moment are parameters reflecting intra-limb strategy for body weight supporting.
Objective
This study aim was to test whether support moment and individual joint contributions had difference between post-stroke subjects with different gait function.
Method
Laboratory gait analysis was performed for normal elderly (NE) and post stroke hemiplegia walking without cane (HNC) and with cane (HWC). Vertical ground reaction force (vGRF) curve, 1st peak and 2nd peak of vGRF and corresponding temporal occurrence were obtained. Support moment was numerical sum of hip and knee extension and ankle plantar flexion moment and individual joint contribution was calculated as the ratio of joint moment to support moment. At temporal occurrences of vGRF peaks, support moment and individual joint contributions were calculated.
Results
At 1st peak of vGRF, support moments were similar among 3 groups, the hip contributions were significantly larger in NE than other two groups, the ankle contributions were significantly larger in HNC than NE and the knee contributions were significantly larger in HWC than other two groups. However, some post-stroke hemiplegic subjects did not follow group characteristics.
Conclusion
Observing support moment and individual joint contribution is helpful to figure out not only group but also individual characteristics of intra-limb strategy for weight support in post-stroke hemiplegia.
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